Game Quotes: Cavaliers vs. Bucks

(On the game tonight): “It’s pretty simple. I told my guys to thank the second unit. They won the game for us. It’s that simple. I thought they came out with great effort in the first half and the beginning of the fourth quarter. They defended and not only got us back in the game, they got us the lead as well. They just did a heck of a job tonight.”

(On Wayne Ellington and Marreese Speights): “I thought both of those guys were big tonight. Wayne was 1-4 (from the field) but that doesn’t tell how important he was tonight as far as on the defensive end. I thought he did a terrific job on Mike Dunleavy by locking and trailing, just really getting into him and challenging his shots. You can just tell he knows how to play that end of the floor as well. I was very happy with the way both of those guys played. They really helped us win this game tonight…I had no idea minute-wise what I was going to do with those guys. I just wanted to let it play itself out and see how everything was going. So, I didn’t expect to play Mo 18 minutes and Wayne 12, but I think both of those guys not only deserved it but helped us win the game.”

(On Speights being vocal on the floor): “That’s the great thing about him. I had a couple of bigs who were great. Tyson Chandler was the best I ever had as far as communicating. Bigs see everything. They’re the last line of the defense. So if you got a guy who’s a big guy that’s a great communicator, he can really help out the defense. Mo really did a heck of a job of communicating and talking tonight, and that’s something I didn’t know about him.”

(On the first unit): “Before the fourth quarter, I went on a little bit of a tirade with the first unit about playing with more energy and more effort to get us back into the game. I thought they did that the last three minutes (of the third quarter) by getting us back within single digits. Then the second unit came in and did a heck of a job.”

(On the reserves in the second half): “In the third quarter, the starters cut it down and the bench came in and gave us the energy we didn’t have in the first couple quarters. They did a hell of a job of maintaining the lead once they got it and getting stops when we needed them. The energy in the whole arena was there. It was fun to watch and fun to be a part of.”

(On Marreese Speights and Wayne Ellington): “Those are guys that have been in the league and they understand the game. When you have guys that can come into the system, they just got cleared yesterday, and are able to play down the stretch it just shows you how versatile they are and how smart they are as players.”

(On the first half): “In the first quarter, we were just pressing and playing too fast. We got ahead of ourselves. In the third quarter, (Milwaukee) came out and made shots and I made a few shots. We got back into it and that was basically the game. We just kept crawling back.”

(On the game tonight): “I thought the energy and crowd were great. My teammates went out there and we played hard together as a team and got some stops and finally made some baskets.”

(On how he felt tonight): “I felt pretty good. Coach was running plays that I knew. It’s different terms but the same plays.”

(On if he felt more comfortable than he thought he would): “Yeah, the second time I got in. The first time I got in, things were going 100 miles an hour. The second time I got in, I felt real good.”

(On playing in Cleveland): “It’s a good fit. It’s a young team. The whole city welcomed me when I came here…I’m happy to be here and happy to be on a team where fans welcome teamwork.”

Bucks Head Coach Jim Boylan

(On the second half): “We needed to tighten up our defense. We knew it was kind of going to be a one-on-one type of game. We got a little bit of a lead, but then they did what they do best; giving guys the ball and letting them work on the top of the floor. They kind of had their way with us. It was happening in the second quarter and continued in the third.”

(On if it was tough to lack an inside presence): “That’s a little bit of an issue for us. Sometimes you live by the jump shot and you die by the jump shot. We had a little bit of trouble making them in the fourth (quarter) and (Cleveland) didn’t. They deserved to win the game.”

(On Cleveland’s bench): “I think the second unit for Cleveland came in and really changed the complexion of the game. I thought Shaun Livingston was outstanding. There’s an old saying in the NBA that you have a little extra against your old team and Shaun played great tonight.”

Brandon Jennings

(On Cleveland’s bench): “Their second group did a hell of a job in the fourth quarter and just maintained the lead. They changed the energy in the building.”

(On Shaun Livingston’s play): “He’s one of those big guards that can do things that other guards can’t. He has that advantage.”

(On losing the 20-point lead): “I think we got a little too comfortable. We played like the game was over, so we lost our energy. I was in foul trouble, which you really don’t see too much. As a team, (Cleveland) just played great.”

CAVALIERS NOTES:

• The Cavaliers battled back from a 20-point deficit midway through the third quarter to clinch their third straight home victory. After trailing 79-59 at the 6:12 mark of the third quarter, the Cavs went on a 37-16 run to take the lead for good. The last time Cleveland won after trailing by 20 or more points was on March 5, 2010 against Detroit, when the Cavaliers overcame a 21-point deficit. .

• Cleveland shot 45-86 (.523) from the field tonight, including shooting 6-15 (.400) from long range. The Cavs have connected on at least .400 shots from beyond the arc 16 times this season. Cleveland also outscored Milwaukee 52-40 in points in the paint.

• Kyrie Irving finished with a game-high 35 points on 12-17 (.705) shooting from the field, five rebounds, two assists and two steals in 34 minutes. He also shot a perfect 9-9 from the charity stripe tonight. Irving has scored at least 25 points or more in five out of six career contests against the Bucks and is averaging 26.7 points on .557 shooting, 3.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 33.1 minutes per game. Irving recorded his eighth 30-plus point game this season, including six in January.

• Tristan Thompson tallied 18 points on 8-14 (.571) shooting from the field, six rebounds and three blocks in 28 minutes. Over his last 18 games, Thompson is averaging 14.3 points on .510 shooting and 11.5 rebounds in 35.0 minutes per game.

• Dion Waiters finished with 16 points on 6-12 (.500) shooting, four assists and one block in 28 minutes. In four career contests against Milwaukee, Waiters is averaging 15.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 28.0 minutes per game.

• Shaun Livingston recorded a season-high 12 points on 6-8 (.750) shooting from the field, three assists and one block in 16 minutes off the bench.

• In his first contest as a Cavalier, Marreese Speights tallied 10 points, six rebounds and two steals in 18 minutes off the bench.